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The Anti-LGBT Moments of the Sarah Palin Tornado
Published July 04, 2009 @ 06:53AM PT
Sarah Palin's announcement yesterday that "I'm a celebrity, get me off this oil field," have sent a handful of shockwaves through the political chattering class. Was it a good move? Was it a bad move? Did she mean to say "I'm taking a vacation," but accidentally said "resigning," and now it's too late? Has she decided to run for the Evangelical Christian GOP nomination for President in 2012? Or is she just really looking for a change of scenery (one can only look at Russia from your house for so long...).
Well, whatever the case, it's clear that all of the papers that Sarah Palin reads will certainly be covering her abrupt resignation, and what it means for the future of a politician who thinks that the commitment between and a man and a woman is sacred above anything, but the commitment between a governor and a state's population is disposable.
Whether this turns out to be a political funeral or the beginnings of a political surge, we've got some of the more infamous moments of the tornado that is Sarah Palin's political career, when it comes to LGBT rights. For what it's worth, Alaska is not only losing their governor, but they're also losing one of the more anti-LGBT leaders in the country.
National Coming Out Day Stay in the Closet Day: Despite being urged by civil rights groups like Alaskans Together to officially recognize National Coming Out Day, Governor Sarah Palin refused to acknowledge a day that fosters acceptance of LGBT people. Sure, during her time as Governor she made official proclamations to recognize "Alaska Taiwan Friendship Week," "Christian Heritage Week," and "Biomedical Technician Week," but giving the gays one day where tolerance and understanding are the norm was a bit too much for the Alaska Governor.
Support of Ex-Gay Ministries?: Sarah Palin's hometown church in Wasilla actively promoted the ex-gay ministry "Love Won Out" by posting their ads in weekly church bulletins. These ex-gay therapy groups have been roundly criticized by science, religious leaders and politicians of all stripes, but nonetheless, Palin's own church seemed to preach that homosexuality could be overcome.
Alaska and Traditional Marriage: Though she was just a few years removed from the Bachelor's Degree that took her seven years and four colleges to get, Sarah Palin was a strong proponent of Alaska's 1998 statewide constitutional amendment which banned same-sex marriage. Additionally, Palin told the Anchorage News in 2005 that she supported repealing many domestic partner benefits given to same-sex couples in Alaska, because DP benefits were anti-family.
The Three Amigos - Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, and Phyllis Schlafly: They're three of the most anti-LGBT people in the country, and the connection? Michelle Bachmann (who has called global warming a "hoax" and "voodoo," and said that God is blessing the Iraq War) stepped in for Sarah Palin during a anti-choice award ceremony at the Republican National Convention this year. Phyllis Schlafly, the denmother of radical conservatives 'round the country, said that McCain's selection of Palin as a running mate was "terribly smart," at the time. Hmm...wonder what she was saying on November 5, 2008?
Let's Define Marriage Federally: In a break with her running mate John McCain, Palin told the Christian Broadcasting Network in October 2008 that she wished the federal government would follow the lead of states like Alaska and work to ban same-sex marriage. Because fighting two wars and solving an economic crisis deserves to be side-stepped by knocking down marriage equality.....
A "Perversion and Degenerates" Ally: In March of this year, Sarah Palin had the task of choosing an Attorney General for Alaska. Her preferred candidate? Wayne Anthony Ross, a radical right-wing lawyer who has referred to LGBT people as "perverts," "degenerates," and "immoral." Ross also had a resume filled with other star attributes, like defending a KKK art project, and representing nutjobs that harass anti-war protestors.
Sheesh! We could go on and on here about the Governor. But for now her time in the political spotlight is up. Now the question becomes whether this rash decision to leave office bolsters her credentials among the radical right in this country, or shows to even the most diehard conservatives that this is not a stable politician. And the jury is still out on that one.
India: "It Feels Good to Be Legitimate"
Published July 03, 2009 @ 10:04AM PT
There seems to be a wave of euphoria in India as the news of the Delhi High Court's ruling decriminalizing homosexuality continues to make headlines. As LGBT blogger Rex Wockner noted yesterday, the ruling in India means that "seventeen percent of the GLBT people on the planet were decriminalized yesterday." That's huge.
A number of folks have offered powerful quotes on what this ruling in India means. One of my favorites comes from Sunil Mehra, the former editor of India's version of Maxim magazine. He told the BBC that "it feels good to be legitimate," which is exactly what the ruling by the Delhi High Court did yesterday: it legitimated a population that for so many years was forced to live underground for fear of being arrested, fined, or abused by law enforcement officers simply because of their sexual orientation.
Below we'll include some of our favorite quotes on the decriminalization ruling in India. And we'll start with Mehra.
Sunil Mehra, former editor, India edition of Maxim Magazine: "For many of us the journey from the 377 (Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code defines homosexual acts as "carnal intercourse against the order of nature") world to a non 377 world is marked by innumerable, significant, intensely personal milestones that someday will constitute the history of a much-maligned minority. Through it all its been an effort to hold one's head high, walk lonely but proud and repeat ad nauseum to oneself: I'm a good man. I love my family. I take care of animals. I do not lie. I do not cheat. I believe in God. I earn my living. I pay my taxes. And it's really my business who I sleep with."
A.J. Hariharan, founder of a gay rights group in Chennai: "This is going to impact the whole country. This will change the lives of millions of gays and lesbians in India."
Anand Grover, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health and an attorney with the Lawyers' Collective in Mumbai: "[The ruling] positively impacts on how services like HIV services will be provided amongst the men having sex with men community. There is a very strong intervention program by the national AIDS Control Organization in India for men having sex with men. But, there are a lot of impediments by the police because of this action. And, that is one of the reasons the Delhi High Court JAS also held that it interferes with the right to health."
Bollywood Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt: "This is a defining moment in the history of free India. No state has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only 'queer' people are those who propagate hate."
Designer Suneet Verma: "This is a landmark victory. We're a secular nation, and every being should have the right to choose their religion. And also make their sexual choices. This gives us the freedom of making personal choices. I feel the government has given me my dignity and right to choose the way I wish to live. Now, I can live according to my rules. This is a big deal for future generations, they won't live in fear or self-loathing. They can walk with their head held high."
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Chicago Sports Retailers Demonstrate Some Homophobia
Published July 03, 2009 @ 06:29AM PT
We'll have to be careful here. This is not a dig at Chicago White Sox fans. But it is at a dig at the type of professional sports marketing that takes the word "Gay" and turns it into a epithet or a degrading term. And this time it comes in the form of two T-shirts being offered by Chicago sports retailers Chi-City Tees and Crosstown Tees.
Richard Roeper (yes, that Richard Roeper) has a column this week exposing the prevalence of the T-shirt designs (above). In both, it's easy to get the message: The Chicago White Sox know how to win championships, while the Chicago Cubs know how to be gay. Here's Roeper's take:
The signs, T-shirts and bumper stickers are literally a sign of the times. I talked to someone who had one of the signs posted at his tailgate party. Nicest guy in the world. Just poking a little fun at Cubs fans. I'll bet a lot of the folks who buy these shirts are for equal rights and aren't at all inclined to discriminate against gays -- but the explicit message in the parade "joke" is that it's a putdown to call someone gay....
As hundreds of thousands were declaring their gay pride or their support for gay pride at a parade last Sunday, there were myriad reminders at the Sox/Cubs game that for many, it's still considered an easy insult to call someone "gay."
Like it or not, that's essentially what these T-shirts are doing - taking the word "gay" and turning it into an insult. And that can have disastrous consequences.
I'm reminded of the award-winning Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) campaign, "Think Before You Speak," which shows how using the word "gay," which as of July 2, says that there are more than 154,000 Web sites that use the phrase "That's so gay" as a derogatory term. Maybe they can now say 154,000 Web sites, and at least two T-shirt retailers from Chicago.
We've created an action right here at change.org where you can email both Chi-City Tees and Crosstown Tees and ask them to stop selling these T-shirts. In these cases, language has the power to reinforce a rather negative stereotype. Forty years after Stonewall, and in a year where we're seeing the second largest country on earth decriminalize homosexuality and four states legalize marriage equality, it's time to turn the stereotype that "gay = weak" or "gay = lame" or "gay = loser" on its head.
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Fighting Homophobia in Virtual Communities
Published July 02, 2009 @ 05:59PM PT
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has launched a cool new project that's ripe for the digital age: it's a campaign to combat homophobia in virtual communities. From Facebook to XBox message boards, homophobia won't have any hiding grounds. Here's a quote from Rashad Robinson, GLAAD's Senior Director of Media Programs:
As more and more people turn to virtual communities to connect with each other and for entertainment, we need to ensure these spaces are LGBT-inclusive and safe for our community – right now that’s not always the case. Our new project and work with leading tech companies aims to both educate users on the impact of homophobic remarks and put sustainable policies in place that make the experience fun and inclusive for everyone.
It's a hefty task, as it involves monitoring everything from comments on blogs to company message boards. It will also involve making sure that online forums allow their users to be open about who they are. For instance, earlier this year XBox Live was found to suspend users for using the word "gay," even if it meant that the users were describing their identity. XBox Live has since changed the policy, but the hiccup was certainly a reminder that adding filters with certain words or phrases screened into them isn't a catch all for addressing homophobia.
For more information on GLAAD's program, go here. Also worth noting is that in two weeks, GLAAD will be hosting a panel event in Silicon Valley with some of the country's leading game and software companies on virtual homophobia. Way to stay ahead of the 21st century, GLAAD.
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India's High Court Overturns Sodomy Law
Published July 02, 2009 @ 06:40AM PT
Strike another victory for LGBT rights in 2009. The Delhi High Court in India has overturned the country's very backwards Section 377 law, which since the days of the British empire has criminalized homosexuality in the second most populous country in the world. Earlier this week we wrote about the potential of this happening, and today the decision is final.
Anjali Gopalan, leader of the Naz Foundation (which was one of the organizations that led the lawsuit challenging the ban on homosexuality), said that with this decision, India is finally entering the 21st century. And with a very simple statement, here's what the High Court in India proclaimed:
Consensual sex amongst adults is legal which includes even gay sex and sex among the same sexes.
Despite the fact that it has lived underground for the better part of many decades, India has a thriving LGBT activism scene, closely tied with campaigns fighting for public health. This decision will suredly bolster these communities, and (one can hope) lead to even more sweeping change for LGBT rights in India.
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LGBT Parents are Not a Threat to their Adopted Children
Published July 01, 2009 @ 01:36PM PT
The radical right in this country certainly does like to scapegoat LGBT parents whenever some sort of controversy comes up. Case in point, a story out of Durham, North Carolina where a very, very troubled individual, Frank Lombard, was arrested for inviting another man to travel to North Carolina in order to molest his adopted 5-year-old son. Change.org's excellent Human Trafficking blogger, Amanda Kloer, has more on the case here.
The right-wing in this country, led by Christian News Wire and the Grassroots Network of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV Network), are seeking to take this case and use it as a means of bashing gay adoption. Because, you see, the parent in question happened to be gay. Already, here's what folks with those two groups have had to say about the Lombard case:
RPV Network: The question remains whether this pattern of child sexual abuse and male homosexuals will be seen as a validation of some studies which suggest that homosexual men are more than 40 times more likely than the general population to molest.
Christian News Wire: (With the headline, no less, of: "Lombard Demonstrates Why Gays Should Not be Allowed to Adopt") The on-line rape of his 5-year-old adopted son by Duke University's openly-gay, Frank Lombard, is no anomaly. Instead, Lombard's molestation fits the pattern that emerged in the latest review of the...literature about gay fathers.
It's downright disgusting that these right-wing organizations are seeking to turn this tragic case into a referendum on LGBT adoption. Leave it to the right-wing in this country to turn exploitation into...well, more exploitation.
Frank Lombard's case is tragic. His actions are disgusting (if they are true), as very few things are more repugnant than child molestation and human trafficking. But this is not a case about gay adoption. This is a case about a disturbed man failing on every level as a parent.
To make this a case about LGBT adoption, like Christian News Wire and the social networking site of the Republican Party of Virginia are doing, is a grotesque move of political theater. It would be like saying, "Because Governor Mark Sanford cheated on his wife, conservative Christians shouldn't be allowed to get married." (Or travel to Argentina...or whatever absurd comment you want to put here.)
Every mainstream scientific study out there asserts that LGBT people are extremely well qualified to be parents, and every mainstream study demonstrates that children who grow up in LGBT homes are just as balanced as children who grow up in straight homes.
That's important to remember, especially as radical conservative groups in this country seek to spin the Lombard case into a debate over gay adoption.
(Photo courtesy of (addict2pics)'s photostream on Flickr!)
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Are Inappropriate Police Responses Becoming Fashionable?
Published July 01, 2009 @ 07:30AM PT
Just a few days after the police department in Fort Worth, Texas raided a gay bar on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and violently arrested several patrons, word comes that another police department - this time in San Diego - raided a campaign fundraiser held at a lesbian couple's home, arresting several attendees and using pepper spray on a largely middle-aged audience.
Shari Barman, 60, hosted the event at her home with her partner, Jane Stratton, as a fundraiser for Congressional candidate Francine Busby (pictured above), who is running for office in a rather "red" part of California. Earlier in the evening, an anti-gay neighbor hurled discriminatory epithets at the crowd gathered. A half hour later, police raided the event, citing a "noise complaint" and not only arrested one of the hosts (Stratton), but used pepper-spray on the crowd. Even better, the police dispatched seven patrol cars and a helicopter (WTF!) to control the crowd.
Never mind that the crowd was mostly 50 middle-aged people eating appetizers and listening to a Democratic candidate for Congress. And never mind the fact that three other neighbors reporting hearing no noise whatsoever (one even said that he was asleep until the San Diego Police Department came crashing onto the scene).
The bizarre circumstances at this event are still playing out, but whatever the case, it seems like the San Diego Police Department not only went overboard, they went freakin' postal. Six patrol cars and a helicopter? Is there no other crime happening in the city of San Diego?! And using pepper spray on a largely middle-aged audience at a political fundraiser? If that doesn't constitute unnecessary punishment, I'm not sure what does.
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